Contractible umbrella



Dec. 8, 1964 H. WUSTER 3,160,166

CONTRACTIBLE UMBRELLA Filed Aug. 6. 1962 fig. 1 Fig.7

INVENTOR.

HEINRIC W'I'JsTER United States Patent M 3,16tl,l66 CONTRACTIBLE UMBRELLA Heinrich Wiister, Iinst, Tyrol, Austria Filed Aug. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 215,013 (Ilaims. (Cl. 13526) This invention relates to a contractible umbrella comprising telescopic stick members and rib members and auxiliary spreaders articulated to the main spreaders and to an auxiliary runner guided on the upper stick member.

The spreading or opening of such umbrellas involves a difiiculty because the ribs instead of pivotally moving away from the stick of the umbrella tend to contract under the action of the main spreaders articulated to the main runner. It has already been recognized that this diificulty can be avoided by temporarily braking or locking the auxiliary runner during its opening movement.

It has already been proposed to provide the auxiliary runner with a stop (auxiliary runner stop) for temporarily locking the auxiliary runner during its opening movement, which stop is movable into and out of engagement with a stop (stick stop) carried by the stick, more particularly by the upper stick member, in dependence on the position of the auxiliary spreaders relative to the stick. The arrangement is suitably such that the auxiliary runner stop is disengaged from the stick stop when the auxiliary spreaders include an angle of about 2030 with the stick axis during the opening movement.

In one known design of this kind, the auxiliary runner stop consists of a pawl, which is pivoted to the auxiliary runner and the nose of which engages an aperture in the upper stick member in the locking position and which is coupled by means of a stirrup-shaped spring member to two adjacent auxiliary spreaders so that the pawl can be Withdrawn for unlocking from said aperture in dependence on the position of the auxiliary spreaders.

This known design has the disadvantage that it is fairly complicated so that the assembly is difficult and trouble is liable to occur.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages. To accomplish this object it is a main feature of the invention that the stop provided on the auxiliary runner is formed directly on that end portion of one of the auxiliary spreaders which is pivoted to the auxiliary runner and that the stick stop is suitably also movable into and out of its elfective position, the design being preferably such that the stick stop is moved out of its effective position toward the end of the closing movement of the rib system and the auxiliary runner. For this purpose, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a stick stop which is formed at one end of a double-armed lever, which is resiliently pivoted in the stick tube or in a plug-like insert disposed in the stick tube, whereas the other end of the lever has an outwardly protruding projection for coaction with the auxiliary runner.

The lever projection provided for coaction with the auxiliary runner may suitably form also the locking member for interlocking the extended stick members.

In all these embodiments it has proved desirable to arrange the stick stop adjacent to the groove provided in the upper stick member to hold the stick members against relative rotation.

In the subsequent description, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows two illustrative embodiments. In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a general view partly in section showing the rib structure in a position in which the locking of the auxiliary runner is just terminated. FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line II-II of FIG. 1 and FIG 3 is a modified embodi- Fatentecl Dec. 8, 1964 ment of the stick stop in a view corresponding to the central portion of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, 1 and 2 are the two telescoped tubular stick members. The upper stick member 2 carries the crown 3, to which the two-part telescoped ribs 4 are hinged. The auxiliary spreaders 7 are articulated in usual manner to the roof spreaders (main spreaders) 6 tied to the runner (main runner) 5 and are hinged to the auxiliary runner 8.

For temporarily locking the auxiliary runner during the opening movement of the umbrella, the auxiliary runner carries a stop 9 (auxiliary runner stop), which consists in the present embodiment of the appropriately shaped end of one of the auxiliary spreaders 7. During the upward movement of the auxiliary runner 8 taking place as the umbrella is being opened, this stop 9 engages the stop lt) (stick stop) provided on the upper stick member 2 so that a further movement of the main runner will reliably ensure an outward pivotal movement of the ribs 4. When the auxiliary spreaders 7 have reached such an inclined position relative to the stick that a contraction of the rib members need no longer be feared, this inclination causes the auxiliary runner stop 9 to be withdrawn from the stick stop 10 so that the auxiliary runner 8 can continue its upward movement until it has reached its end position, when the umbrella has been entirely opened. The above-mentioned inclination of the auxiliary spreaders 7 at which the stops 9 and it become ineltective corresponds to an angle a. of about 20-30".

In the embodiment shown, the stick stop 10 consists of an outwardly protruding extension (nose) of a doublearmed lever 11, which is mounted by means of the pin 14 in the upper stick member 2, more particularly in a pluglike insert 12 consisting preferably of plastic and mounted in the upper stick member 2. For instance, a small helical spring 15 tends constantly to rotate the lever 11 in the clockwise sense, i.e., to maintain the nose 1% in effective position. The lower end is designed here as a locking member 13 for interlocking the extended stick members 1 and 2. In the lowermost position of the auxiliary runner 8 the latter depresses the locking member 13 to unlock the stick members and to move the stick stop pivotally rearwardly to such an extent that it cannot obstruct the subsequent contracting of the stick members.

Without departing from the scope of the invention, it would also be possible, as is shown in FIG. 3, to provide a separate locking member 13 for interlocking the stick members 1 and 2. In this case too the double-armed lever 11 carrying the stick stop 10 must be provided with a projection 16, on which the auxiliary runner runs up when the umbrella is being closed so that the stick stop is swung back. The locking member 13 is then moved to its release position as the downward movement of the auxiliary runner continues.

As is apparent from FIG. 2 the double-armed lever 11 is preferably arranged so that the stick stop 10 is adjacent to the groove 18 provided in the upper stick member 2 to hold the stick members against relative rotation.

The design and assembly of the umbrella frame can be simplified in a desirable manner it the plugl-ike insert 12 consisting prefenably of plastic is upwardly extended and the extension 12a is used at the same time as a holder for the upper locking spring, which locks the main runner in its open position, as is shown in FIG. 1. In this case the locking spring 20 is enlarged in width at the end 22 remote from the locking nose 21 and this enlarged portion is inserted into a slot of the extension 12a and fixed therein, e.g., by a crosspin 23.

Having shown and described embodiments of my invention to illustrate the principles thereof, it will be undertood that my invention may be differently embodied vithin the scope of my appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a contractible umbrella frame the improvement :omprising in combination f (a) a telescopic stick including a lower handle part and an upper crown part slida ble into the former;

(b) a crown attached tosaid crown part at its outer end;

(c) a plurality of extendable ribs including an inner section and an outer section, each inner section articu lated to said crown;

(d) a main runner slidable on said handle part;

(c) an auxiliary runner slidable on said crown part;

( a plurality of Spreaders, each spreader articulated at one end to the main runner and at its other end hinged to the inner section of one of the ribs;

(g) a plurality of braces, each articulated at one end to the auxiliary runner and at its other end hinged to one spreader intermediate its ends;

(h) arresting means temporarily locking the auxiliary runner to the crown part of the stick during the initial opening of the frame, said arresting means compris ing a first locking component associated with the auxiliary runner, and a therewith cooperating second locking component mounted in the crown part of the stick, said first locking component consisting of a nose integral with the articulated end of one brace, and the second locking component consisting of a pawl memer mounted in the crown part of the stick for engagement with said nose during the initial opening of the frame and for subsequent disengagement from said 'nose to permit the auxiliary runner to continue to slide unobstructively towards the crown during completion of the opening of the frame.

2. An umbrella frame as claimed in claim 1 wherein the crown part of the stick is tubular at least at its inner end and the said secondlocking component comprises a spring loaded double-armed lever pivotably mounted in said tubular crown part, a hook provided at one end thereof adapted to engage said nose and an outwardly protruding projection on the other end thereof engageable by the auxiliary runner when the latter approaches the handle part of the extended stick.

3. An umbrella frame as claimedin claim 2 comprising a pluglike insert in said tubular crown part of the stick to pivotably support said lever.

4. An umbrella frame as claimed in claim 3 comprising a pluglike insert provided with an extension directed inwardly of the said tubular crown part and an upper locking spring member mounted on said extension and adapted to lock the main runner when the stick is in extended position and the frame open.

5. An umbrella frame as claimed in claim 2 in which said projection is adapted to interlock said stick parts in the extended -stick.,.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,117,365 Frisk et a1 Nov. 17, 1914 2,124,842 Zierold et a1 July 26, 1938 2,156,984 Haupt May 2, 1939 2,221,288 Okun Nov. 12, 1940 3,003,510 Fischinge-r Oct. 10, 1961 

1. IN A CONTRACTIBLE UMBRELLA FRAME THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION (A) A TELESCOPIC STICK INCLUDING A LOWER HANDLE PART AND AN UPPER CROWN PART SLIDABLE INTO THE FORMER; (B) A CROWN ATTACHED TO SAID CROWN PART AT ITS OUTER END; (C) A PLURALITY OF EXTENDABLE RIBS INCLUDING AN INNER SECTION AND AN OUTER SECTION, EACH INNER SECTION ARTICULATED TO SAID CROWN; (D) A MAIN RUNNER SLIDABLE ON SAID HANDLE PART; (E) AN AUXILIARY RUNNER SLIDABLE ON SAID CROWN PART; (F) A PLURALITY OF SPREADERS, EACH SPREADER ARTICULATED AT ONE END TO THE MAIN RUNNER AND AT ITS OTHER END HINGED TO THE INNER SECTION OF ONE OF THE RIBS; (G) A PLURALITY OF BRACES, EACH ARTICULATED AT ONE END TO THE AUXILIARY RUNNER AND AT ITS OTHER END HINGED TO ONE SPREADER INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS; (H) ARRESTING MEANS TEMPORARILY LOCKING THE AUXILIARY RUNNER TO THE CROWN PART OF THE STICK DURING THE INITIAL OPENING OF THE FRAME, SAID ARRESTING MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST LOCKING COMPONENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUXILIARY RUNNER, AND A THEREWITH COOPERATING SECOND LOCKING COMPONENT MOUNTED IN THE CROWN PART OF THE STICK, SAID FIRST LOCKING COMPONENT CONSISTING OF A NOSE INTEGRAL WITH THE ARTICULATED END OF ONE BRACE, AND THE SECOND LOCKING COMPONENT CONSISTING OF A PAWL MEMBER MOUNTED IN THE CROWN PART OF THE STICK FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NOSE DURING THE INITIAL OPENING OF THE FRAME AND FOR SUBSEQUENT DISENGAGEMENT FROM SAID NOSE TO PERMIT THE AUXILIARY RUNNER TO CONTINUE TO SLIDE UNOBSTRUCTIVELY TOWARDS THE CROWN DURING COMPLETION OF THE OPENING OF THE FRAME. 